Help, Which Genealogy Conference Should I Choose?

I’ve been thinking a lot about my next genealogy conference.
Which one do I want to attend in 2012? I usually only choose one large
conference each year. Let’s face it they can be expensive, and I live in Canada, so pretty
much any conference I attend involves an airline ticket, hotel room anda block time away from my family.

Most conferences require you to register in advance,
especially if you want the early bird prices, or a hotel room to lay your tired
body at the end of a hectic day. You can’t procrastinate or your choices will
dwindle. Therefore, I started thinking about which conference I wish to attend
next year. It’s hard to decide because some conferences are earlier then others
and therefore it becomes difficult to compare them when you don’t have all the
information in front of you. Past experiences, and what others are saying about
their conferences influence my decisions. You can find a list of current genealogy conferences here at the Armchair Genealogist, and it is being updated as more 2012 dates are released.

11 comments:

I haven't been to NGS, so I can't help you there, but RootsTech 2011 was great. However, your lists don't seem to include the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) conferences. I just attended the 2011 FGS conference in Springfield, Illinois. I wrote one post about it, another is forthcoming, and lots ofother bloggers posted about it. Next year, the FGS conference is in Birmingham, Alabama, Aug 29 - Sep 1. Other than that, your comparison is thorough, so whichever way you choose will be an informed decision, and I'm sure you'd have a good time at either one.

Lynn,I, too, would love to come up with the money to go to RootsTech. However, as a Cincinnatian, and host of the NGS conference here, I'd love to have you (and everyone else) come to Cincy in May. It usually is beautful here in May and no one should ever think that Cincinnati is what you see from I-75. Let me know if you have any questions.

@MNFamilyHistorian, I initially did take the FGS Conference under consideration, but after looking at this past year's list of lectures, I felt it was highly geared to those in Genealogical Societies, which I am not. I also felt timing was not right for me, being the last weekend before school goes back. I'm glad to hear RootsTech was great, what was the one highlight or take away for you?

I would love to go to RootsTech but the two biggest strikes against it are the dates and the flights. I live in Boston so I can totally relate to your worry about being snowed in especially after the last winter we had. The weather can really turn a potentially great trip into a disaster.

I personally would rather save the $500 each on the airfare and spend the $30 extra a night. Ohio in springtime sounds much more pleasant.

Though I can't disagree that RootsTech is "the" conference these days, I think I'm still in the traditional mode. Honestly, I won't likely be going to either but NGS would be a better shot for me.

Thanks for putting that list together of future conferences. I didn't know that IAJGS was coming to Boston in 2013. I will definitely be attending that one!

I've been to RootsTech, and I went to NGS in 2002 and 2003. For me, they're all about the same price (I could conceivably drive to Cincinnati, but the cost of a day's driving in gas and a day off of work each way is not necessarily cheaper than airfare).

If I had only one, I would choose RootsTech. I think this is such an individual thing, though, because for me conferences are far more about networking than sitting and learning in session; I am REALLY not someone who learns from sitting an listening to a lecture. I felt like the vibe of RootsTech encouraged more of the types of discussions I was interested in--about technology, the direction of genealogy, and other forward-thinking stuff. My experience with NGS and the discussions it generated was more focused on methodology and how things have been done in the past (although that may have changed since I last attended).

I'm actually hoping to attend both this year, but if I had to choose one, I would go with RootsTech.

I've never done FGS (it's at a perpetually bad time of year), so I can't comment on that one.

Thanks Kerry for weighing in, I agree, I feel like they both offer something different, but that leaves I feel like I will be missing out if I choose one over the other, but honestly can see me doing both.

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